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From junior champion
to national champion to
T&T s first International
Master, 19-year-old Vishnu
Singh has set a singular
record of achievement that
would be hard, if not
impossible, for any of the
country s young chess
players to emulate.
An open scholarship win-
ner, Singh, in fact, has
arrived at that critical junc-
ture in his young life when
he must face the choice
between two courses, one
leading to a career in one of
the well-known professions
or the other, pursuing even
greater achievements in the
world of chess.
In the past, generations of
bright young T&T chess players
have crossed this juncture by sub-
duing their love for the game to
achieve a more stable life in the
professions. This continuing loss
of talent may well be the main rea-
son why the sport has not soared
beyond the national level, at least
until now. Indeed, a number of the
country s well known doctors,
lawyers, businessmen and educa-
tors were once promising
chess players who had to
abandon the sport to
concentrate on their
studies.
So the anxious ques-
tion must now be asked,
what course will T&T s
first IM take? Will he fol-
low the trend set by pred-
ecessors, or will he pursue
his love for chess into the
international arena?
DR sought an answer
to this question from
Naroutam Singh, Vish-
nu s father and coach,
and was quite heartened
by his reply. "Chess is
Vishnu s great passion;
he has no intention of giving
it up," says Singh senior.
"With respect to his scholarship,
he plans to study law. Vishnu is a
voracious reader with an enormous
capacity for learning; I am sure he
can easily handle both objectives."
A61
sports
Thursday, January 8, 2015 www.guardian.co.tt Guardian
PUBLIC NOTICE
Ministry of The Environment and
Water Resources
(Drainage Division)
The public is hereby notified that
Dyette Trace, Cunupia
will be CLOSED from the
9th January
to
22nd January
to facilitate Infrastructural works
to the ravine crossing the
roadway.
0108031
DR sincerely hopes he can. Naroutam,
once an avid player himself, has presided
over the development of his two sons,
Vishnu and his up-and-coming younger
brother Mahendra, not only as chess
coach but also in assisting the boys
broad academic development.
One particularly helpful asset in this
enterprise is the kindle he bought for
each of his sons, packed with a range
of books from the classics to Grisham-
type thrillers to popular westerns.
Vishnu first fell under the spell of the
sport some five years ago during a brief
coaching course conducted by IM
Umberto Pecorelli for the T&T Chess
Foundation. Subsequently, under the
guidance of his father, his love for the
game blossomed into a passion.
"The truth is that his devotion to
chess never really clashed with his stud-
ies," Naroutam explained. As proof, he
pointed to his son s string of major, con-
sistent and convincing victories last year,
including an unbeaten quest for the
national championship, while, at the
same time, preparing for his scholarship
exams at Presentation College.
So, chesswise, where does Vishnu go
from here? His performance at home
and abroad shows that the Chaguanas
youngster has the potential to bring
even greater glory to his homeland. But,
to achieve this, he will now need a qual-
ity of coaching far beyond what his
father has provided. "Right now, I can t
give a categorical answer to that ques-
tion," said Naroutam. "We are exploring
all the possibilities."
Last week, Vishnu secured, for the
second consecutive time, the Open Jun-
ior Championship title. He played
unbeaten in the six round 16-player
contest, scoring 5.5 points after drawing
with 15-year-old CM Joshua Johnson
who placed second. Two other prom-
ising youngsters, Mahendra and Simon
Ramdath took third and fourth places,
also with scores of 4.5. Jon Raphael Sealy
finished in fifth, half a point behind
them.
WCM Javanna Smith, who paralleled
Vishnu s feat at the CAC Under-20
tournament buy gaining the WFM title,
also won the T&T Female Junior Cham-
pionship, topping the six member field
with a perfect score of five points.
Gabriella Johnson placed second on 4.
In congratulating Vishnu for his IM
success at the recent CAC Under-20
tournament in Costa Rica, T&T Chess
Association president Anderson Gordon
noted: "At long last we have shattered
that glass ceiling and achieved what has
eluded us for years."
The Association also extended con-
gratulations to WCM Javanna Smith for
placing second in the ladies section of
the CAC Under 20 contest. "She was
our first WCM. Now she is our first
WFM. Perhaps she ll be our first Woman
Grand Master soon," Gordon noted.
IM Singh will pursue his passion DOUBLE ROOKS
CARL JACOBS
Vishnu Singh